ALEXANDRA SHIMALLA: JOURNALIST AND STORYTELLER
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~The First Post of 2020~

3/16/2020

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Hi friends! It’s me, a total stranger now! I cannot say enough how much I’ve been trying to get back into blogging, but life has gotten in the way. I’ve been going through some *exciting* life changes recently, like moving, starting a job, and adjusting to all this newness! 

But, I have a plan created, a schedule I hope to follow, and a list of books below. Hopefully someone of you might find comfort in a good book during this crazy, weird time!

Enjoy and, as always, feel free to comment below or send me an email with ideas, recommendations, or topics/things you’d like to see! (I appreciate the inspiration!)

​WINTER 2019/2020 BOOK HAUL (December—March)

The Guest Book—Sarah Blake 
…I did not like this book. Each chapter was a different TIME as well as from the perspective of different characters (some of whom had the same name). Either one of those would’ve worked, but together, I was lost for most of the book. Not to mention that a MAJOR event happened at the beginning that we just never circled back to; in fact, many things were brought up and then they just never seemed to be addressed in the end. I was majorly disappointed but couldn’t stop reading because I was 1/3 of the way in when I realized that it wasn’t going to get any better, but I needed to figure out the ending (and kept hoping that plot holes would be addressed). I do not recommend. 

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe—Laura Lynne Jackson
This was the most wonderful and inspiring book I’ve ever read. It’s a beautiful reminder of how connected we are to those who have passed as well as our angels and spirit guides. 10/10
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The Great Alone—Kristin Hannah
12/10 recommendation. This novel was amazing. It’s an incredibly well-written, suspenseful book about the affect and power of relationships (those both good and toxic). I have since copied down every other book Hannah has written into my “To Read” journal. 

Educated—Tara Westover
Oh man. There is absolutely no question as to why this book has been on the New York Times’ best seller list (for nonfiction) for months and months and months. I’ve always enjoyed reading memoirs because they’re the closest I can get to the kind of book I’d eventually end up writing, and Westover absolutely crushed it. I’m not sure how many people can relate to this feeling, but there were plenty of times while reading the book that I wanted to just jump in and yell, “Can’t you see what’s really going on here!?” Talk about a peek into a totally different world. 12/10 recommendation again. 

Bad Man—Dathan Auerbach
I was not a fan. You’re probably wondering, “Uh Alex: Why would you read a ‘horror-ish’ book when you couldn’t even handle Stephen King?” GOOD QUESTION, READER. I did have nightmares. The twist ending got me, but I’m still a bit mixed about it as a whole. It took a LONG time for me to get through it. I guess try it if you have nothing better to read?
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The Giver of Stars—Jojo Moyes
This book was an absolute joy to read. I’m a big fan of Moyes’ novels (and have collected quite a few over the years), so when I read the description of this one (and saw that it made the fiction best seller list for weeks and weeks in a row), I knew that she wouldn’t disappointment. And she didn’t. The characters are unique and fluid throughout the novel. The plot twists and turns and keeps you hooked until the very end. I highly recommend this read (as well as the rest of her books).
Eat, Pray, Love—Elizabeth Gilbert 
I fell in love with Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing when I read Big Magic; I even bought my mom a copy of the book. So she ended up buying me Eat, Pray, Love around the same time because the author was the same! I finished grad school, had some life experiences that were both good and bad, and finally picked up the book. It only took me a long time to read because I was adjusting to “real adult working life,” but it was exactly what I needed. For anyone who hasn’t heard about this memoir before, Gilbert travels to three countries on kind of a self-love/self-care mission to getting back to her true, happy self after a rough divorce. Her writing is so enjoyable (and enviable), but this book is also packed with plenty of messages and perfectly written tokens of wisdom that I want to apply to my life, and I’m sure you could, too. I highly recommend it. 
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